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Friday, April 3, 2015

Lynne called with a specific and unique request. For years she looked at three pipes running from top to bottom in her kitchen. They were an eyesore! I came up with a design that not only covered the pipes but is also functional for Lynne’s everyday needs. I also included an extra window sitting area for maximum functionality.

Tuesday, January 27, 2015

It began like any other renovation project. On Monday the work started in this charming 1940's apartment. Since the beginning, the owner and I got along very well on how the apartment should look.

The design idea behind the renovation was to keep this gem looking like it was built in the 1940's and it never got old. Then I learned who once lived in the apartment and a feeling of excitement and honor crept up my spine. Honestly, I will never forget this feeling.

How many people get the possibility to work and be in the house where W. E. B. Du Bois once lived, studied and fought for justice, where meetings took place that changed the course of the history?

Saturday, May 10, 2014

Many times I have been asked, why skim coat the walls after removing the wallpaper?
When you remove wallpaper, a few things might happen that you might not expect. For one, the glue or adhesive will pull pieces of drywall down with it. You might also see previous damage on walls obscured by the wall paper, or issues like dry rot or water damage.
Some contractors will suggest using primer for minor damage like this, or "Roll the skim coat on the wall"! Please listen carefully: the primer is not invented to fill holes, imperfections or to hide the damage on the walls and rolling joint compound on the wall is not the right solution.

If not removed properly, the chemical residue from the wallpaper glue will come through the primer and paint and stain the paint or lead to discolorations. The removal of the wallpaper glue has to be done properly using solvent or adhesive remover. (If you try yourself please be conscious).

After removing all the glue, the wall are ready to be skim coated. Patching the holes with mash drywall tape is the first step of skim coating. Skin coating is effective but labor intensive, just remember "Do it Right the First Time, You Will Not Do It Again"

Friday, May 2, 2014

This old dark and dingy kitchen didn't fit well with the rest of the apartment. The apartment, a modern loft in Union Square was completely renovated a few years ago but the kitchen remained untouched. Italian kitchens has some very cool style and concepts line. When your home simply doesn't allow for a large kitchen space, or you like to have your kitchen organized so you can easily access whatever you may need, these modern spaces provide solutions to common kitchen shortfalls. The new floor are real stone from Italy as well.

Sunday, April 6, 2014

Luis and Juliette need desperately to move their hundreds of books from their guest bedroom to someplace else to prepare for their new adventure as parents. A simple hallway is now been transformed in wall to wall library.

Friday, March 28, 2014

Mr Jones called us for a face-lift for his master bedroom. As soon I walked in, I saw the potential of the room. After consulting with Mr Jones about the color, the extensive paintwork started. I knew that for the doors and bookshelves the best finish would be a spray finish, so I decided to use our HVLP sprayer.

What is HVLP?

HVLP means High Volume Low Pressure sprayer. For many years if you used the spray technique to paint furniture, walls door etc, inside a home it could have turned into a disaster due to the extremely high level of over-spray in the air. HVLP requires less air so there is minimal over-spray levels.